What does the gift of ruling mean in the local church?
The gift of ruling in the local church is the God-given ability to lead, where people are willing to follow. Not everyone has this leadership ability. Those who have it should get to work and give God the credit, recognizing it as a gift from Him.
Les explains that 'he that ruleth' refers to the working of the local church. He notes that not everybody has the ability to be a leader in the local church, but if you have that leadership ability and people are willing to follow you, you should get after it, get to work, and give God the credit. This fits with the passage's broader teaching on gifts: just as not everyone has the gift of giving or the gift of mercy, not everyone has the gift of ruling. Those who do should exercise it diligently, acknowledging God as the source.
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
More Questions
What is the gift of showing mercy with cheerfulness?
The gift of showing mercy is seen in people who can visit a hospital room and make a sick person feel like a million dollars, while other visitors only make people sicker — and not everybody can do it.